SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A member of the Canadian singing group, The Tenors, changed a lyric in "O Canada" and held up a sign saying "All Lives Matter" during their pregame performance at the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the Associated Press reports.
A member of the British Columbia group, later identified as Remigio Pereira by the group, replaced the lyric, "with glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free," to "we're all brothers and sisters, all lives matter to the brave," a report from The Score says.
The AP reports, "United We Stand" was written on the back of the quartet's sign.
Fans at Petco Park reacted with surprise when they saw the sign on videoboard. The Canadian anthem wasn't shown live on U.S. television, but it aired in Canada, where people lit up social media criticizing the change, according to the AP report.
The Tenors tweeted out an apology saying, "The Tenors are deeply sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group acting as a 'lone wolf' today during the singing of the Canadian national anthem at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego. The other members of the group are shocked and embarrassed by the actions of Remigio Pereira, who changed the lyrics of our treasured anthem and used this coveted platform to serve his own political views. Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed this shameful act, to our fellow Canadians, to Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans and to all those affected. The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish and he will not be performing with The Tenors until further notice."
The Tenors are made up of Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters, Victor Micallef and Pereira. The Juno Award-winning group has recorded multiple platinum albums in Canada and have performed around the world, the AP reports.